Dave Douglas

Born: March 24, 1963

Dave Douglas is a prolific trumpeter, composer, and educator from New York City known for the stylistic breadth of his work, the lyricism and wide-ranging curiosity of his music, and for keeping a diverse set of ensembles and projects active simultaneously.

His unique contributions to improvised music have garnered distinguished recognition, including a Doris Duke Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award, and two Grammy Award nominations. Douglas’ career spans more than 60 unique original recordings as a leader and more than 500 published works. His current ensembles include the Dave Douglas Quintet; Sound Prints, a band co-led with saxophonist Joe Lovano; Gifts Trio, with guitarist Rafiq Bhatia and drummer Ian Chang; Gifts Quintet, adding saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and cellist Tomeka Reid to the trio; OVERCOME, with vocalists Fay Victor and Camila Meza and instrumentalists Ryan Keberle, Jorge Roeder, and Rudy Royston; and If There Are Mountains, a sextet with pianist & co-leader Elan Mehler featuring haiku and poetry from vocalist Dominique Eade. Douglas is often engaged in special projects which include big bands, tributes, and multi-trumpet ensembles, such as Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie at Zero Gravity.

New Music From Brunkhorst, Wren, Smith & More

by Bob Osborne
September 11, 2025

A show with mostly new releases with a mix of various genres of jazz features many fine examples of the use of the guitar. The show also includes a re-release from Steve Smith and more from the Strata-East catalogue. Playlist Kevin Brunkhorst “As Fate Would Have It" from After The Fire (Calligram Records) ...

Sheila Jordan (RIP), Phil Haynes, Jason Kao Hwang, and Sarah Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
September 4, 2025

This episode pays tribute to the recently deceased Sheila Jordan by playing music from the early and later parts of her long career. It also features music from Sarah Wilson, Jason Kao Hwang, and Phillip Haynes among others. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & ...

Exploration (Don Friedman Quartet), Classic Jazz from Miles Davis, Dinah Washington, Freddie Hubbard, Recent Jazz from Tina May, Dave Douglas, Michael Mayo, Birthday Music from Ike Quebec, Malachi Thompson, Vital Information, and more

by David W. Daniels
August 26, 2025

The program will feature classic jazz, current jazz that is in the tradition of classic jazz, jazz fusion, and music by local artists covering all forms of jazz. We do this in three segments, each an hour long: 1: Classic jazz; 2: Recent jazz that is in the tradition; and 3: Jazz musicians who had birthdays ...

Jon Irabagon / PlainsPeak: Someone to Someone

by Jack Kenny
August 15, 2025

Jon Irabagon is a musician whose complexity is both exhilarating and daunting. His restless energy, deep self-reflection, remarkable achievements and sharp intellect combine to create a figure who constantly provokes questions--about music, originality and the very nature of artistic expression. In 2011, Irabagon undertook a bold experiment: With Mostly Other People Do The Killing, ...

Ryan Keberle & Collectiv do Brasil: Choro das Aguas

by Katchie Cartwright
August 14, 2025

Ryan Keberle began to study music at age four in Spokane, first at the piano with his mother, Ann, followed by Suzuki violin lessons. His father Dan, a university jazz director, encouraged him to pick up the trombone at 10, for the sensible reason that he always seemed to be short a trombonist in his ensembles. ...

Believers: Hard Believer

by Vincenzo Roggero
August 13, 2025

Veterano della scena downtown newyorchese (da ricordare almeno il Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio, il quartetto Pachora con Jim Black, Chris Speed e Skuli Sverrisson, le collaborazioni con Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill, Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, le registrazioni con Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band o il Paradox Trio con Matt Darriau, Rufus Cappadocia e ...

Abdou - Gouband - Warelis: Hammer, Roll and Leaf

by John Sharpe
August 12, 2025

The multinational threesome of French saxophonist Sakina Abdou, French percussionist Toma Gouband and Polish pianist Marta Warelis establishes a striking group identity on Hammer Roll Leaf. From the opening track, “Roll," the trio's compositional instincts and collective discipline distinguish them from the crowded field of free improvisers. Warelis begins with cascading piano figures--robust, resonant and allowed ...

Kaisa M?ensivu: Moving Parts

by Vincenzo Roggero
August 8, 2025

Di origine finlandese, da tempo residente a New York, la contrabbassista e compositrice Kaisa Maensivu fonda l'ensemble denominato Kaisa's Machine nel 2015 e, dopo l'album di esordio nel lontano 2017, approda alla prestigiosa Greenleaf di Dave Douglas nel 2023 con Taking Shape ed ora con il recentissimo Moving Parts. Nel corso degli anni e ...

Sim��n Willson: Bet - Live at Ornithology

by Alberto Bazzurro
August 6, 2025

Simón Willson, cileno di nascita ma newyorchese d'adozione, �� un giovane contrabbassista che con questo Bet firma il secondo album a suo nome. Nel corso degli anni ha avuto modo di collaborare con musicisti quali Dave Douglas, Ethan Iverson, Jason Palmer e Frank Carlberg, fra gli altri. Qui dirige un quartetto decisamente classico, nella struttura quanto ...